Georgian FM updates UN chief with situation in conflict zone
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze currently in New York updated UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with the situation in connection with the Russian servicemen's recent actions on the arrangement of the so-called border zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry said on June 6 that during the meeting at the UN headquarters, Panjikidze stressed that such actions create a humanitarian problem for local residents by limiting their right to free movement.
The minister also discussed a resolution on the right of refugees to return home. It will be discussed at the UN Security Council on June 13. The document will be discussed at the UN General Assembly in September.
Last year, around 65 countries voted for this document, while 12 went against it.
Large scale military actions were launched in South Ossetia on August 8, 2008. Later, Russian troops occupied Tskhinvali and expelled the Georgian military.
Russia recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in late August. In response, Tbilisi broke diplomatic relations with Moscow and has called the two unrecognised republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occupied territories.